Diary by Meta Peelen-Reith about her time in camp Ambarawa.

Woensday 15 Maart 1944 Bandoengan - Ik ben bezig met de handwerkkast van Roos op orde te brengen. Daar komt bericht dat er een vrachtauto voor de mantri staat!!! En een bus!!! Interneeringen alles gaat in filmsnelheid. Jongens Thomas, Fabius, fam ter Berg, e.a. Later nog een vrachtauto en bus. Fam. O’Hearne, Hans v.d. Paling, Meinderts Freeling - ik ga in de tuin om te kijken - en wordt ook uitgenodigd!!! Mag niet meer naar huis en hoor op het Politie Kantoor dat de meisjes al in het kamp St Lewis zijn. Wij kamen daar in een stortbui aan - lang wachten - tijd om te denken heb ik niet -maar ik heb mijn kinderen terug!!! God dank! De ontvangst van de dames is allerhartelijkst. Wednesday 15 March 1944 Bandoengan - I am busy organising Rose's sewing and craft cupboard. Then I get word that a truck has pulled up in front of the mantri (?)!!! And a bus!!! Internments -  so fast, all like in a film. The boys Thomas, Fabius, Family ter Berg and others. Later another truck and bus...

I have created this blog to read and communicate to my family members the content of the diaries, notes, letters and other writings I have from my grandmother Meta Peelen-Reith. Meta lived in the first half of the 20th century and experienced two world wars. The last one killed her when she succumbed to the effects of the malnutrition and dysentery she endured in the Japanese Concentration Camp on Java that she was interned in in 1944. She died on 25th August 1945, ten days after Japan surrendered. Meta kept a diary in those camp days, using a school exercise book. She took a great risk to keep this diary, because paper and pencil was forbidden by the Japanese camp guards and punishment was brutal for those who transgressed this rule.  The diary is written in Dutch in pencil, and overwritten in ink later, it seems, and it is sometimes difficult to read, because the writing is faded and smudged in places. As I go through the diary I'll provide both the Dutch original t...